Master of Computer and Information Science, Cleveland State University, 2016, Washkewicz College of Engineering

This thesis presents the design of an original Intelligent Home Automation Architecture. My work was divided in two phases. The first portion was dedicated to acquiring a thorough understanding of the most successful and diffused Home-Automation commercial architectures. During this phase, I intended to gain a deep appreciation for the variety of organizations, capabilities, limitations, and potential areas of growth of the existing Home-Automation leading systems. In order to acquire this knowledge, I had to use a reverse engineering approach. The reason for using this methodology arises from the fact that all the products considered in this study are commercially protected as industrial secrets. Consequently, it is not possible to obtain detailed descriptions of their 'real' architectures and internal operations. The second part of this thesis presents my personal contribution in the form of a prototype for a Smart-Home Architecture. My design, called IVA (short for Intelligent Voice Activated) home automation, is primarily driven by the processing of natural language voice commands. I argue that this approach should be attractive to seniors, and people with limited range of mobility. In addition, the hardware needed to implement the system is commonly available and inexpensive. The most sophisticated device in my model is a smartphone, which in most cases, is already own by the prospective user.

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2009, Nursing

The relationship between patient characteristics, frontloading nursing visits and home care heart failure (HF) patient outcomes was investigated in this descriptive correlational study, guided by Andersen's Behavioral Model. Patient characteristics were age, gender, race (predisposing), Medicaid, primary caregiver (enabling), prior hospitalization, HF severity, and comorbidity (need). Frontloading nursing visits was the health service variable. Patient outcomes were dyspnea, oral medication management and activities of daily living (ADL) status at home care discharge and hospitalization during the home care episode. CMS OASIS, home health claims and Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data were merged to construct the 2005 national Medicare-certified home health HF patient population (N=82,258). Logistic regression was used for the dyspnea, oral medication and hospitalization models; multiple regression was used for ADL status.The study population was elderly (mean age 81 years), mostly (62.5%) female and white (83%). Comorbidity was prevalent, but the overlap of comorbidity, disability and geriatric syndromes revealed the extent and complexity of multimorbidity of this patient population. Key findings indicated that older patients were less likely to have dyspnea on discharge, while older patients were more likely to need assistance with oral medication management at discharge. Older age and being female were associated with more ADL impairment at discharge, while baseline ADL status was a very weak predictor. The association between frontloading and the dyspnea and medication outcomes was weak; no significant association was identified with the ADL outcome. For the hospitalization outcome models, findings indicated that patients with Medicaid, more severe HF and more baseline ADL impairment were more likely to have a hospitalization during home care while patients with a prior hospitalization were less likely. Patients who received frontloading were considerably (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Consumer Sciences

Housing wealth and human capital are two of the most important asset classes for most Americans. To better understand these topics, I examine populations of current and prior military service personnel as well as working adults using data from the 2018 National Financial Capability Study and 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances. In the first chapter, I provide an overview of the aims of this dissertation, motivate my research, and summarize methodologies and key findings for each of the three independent studies. In the second chapter, I investigate rates of negative home equity contrasted between active-duty military households and civilian households. Little prior research has been conducted on the topic of housing wealth related to this population who experience multiple and impactful unique considerations. Results show, for a national data sample collected in 2018, that active-duty military households had 6.25 times higher rates of negative home equity as comparted to rates of negative home equity for civilian households. When interacting military status with three financial-behavior moderators that measure financial vulnerability, active-duty military households who exhibit these vulnerabilities have higher predicted probabilities of negative home equity as compared to civilian households. In the third chapter, I investigate rates of home ownership and levels of positive home equity across two age-based cohorts of military service personnel households. The cohorts reflect older Korea/Vietnam and younger post-Vietnam military personnel households. The comparison group are civilian households. Results show that, for a national data sample collected in 2022, the cohorts of military households do not differ from civilian households with regard to the homeownership rate. Financial stress is negatively related to home ownership. Results document that there is a negative association between Post-Vietnam era military households and higher levels of home equity. The (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Nursing Practice Degree Program in Population Health Leadership DNP, Xavier University, 2021, Nursing

Time banditry is defined as the misuse of time doing non-task related activities during paid work; this is also considered to be "stealing time" (Martin et al., 2010). Notably, time banditry may happen in all employment sectors and in various forms. Each time bandit steals time for a marginally diverse reason. Although the motives may be different between individuals, the concept is the same. This DNP project implemented an Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) system to replace the existing time management methods used by organizations. The goal was to facilitate consistency in the duties of CNAs who cared for homebound elderly residents and reduce time banditry. EVV is a computer-based software that enables real-time touchscreen smartphone contact between workers (CNAs) and the managers (nursing supervisor). EVV functions as a medium to monitor home care workers' attendance, current client situation, data entry, and care plan coordinating. CNAs log-in at the time of arrival at the work location indicating the start of work and log out at end of work – completing task. The clients are expected to countersign with the CNAs to confirm agreement with time entry. Findings from the outcome of patient surveys suggests that customers verbalize satisfaction with the EVV use because CNAs are arriving to work on time, staying for the entire scheduled shift, and completing task. Stakeholders state that billing is more accurate and organizational growth becomes promising.

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2020, Counselor Education and Supervision

Youth are at risk of out of home placement for varied reasons, which places excess burden and negative consequences on youth, families, communities, and stakeholders. This creates a need to identify effective, adherent treatment to avoid placements. This quantitative research study utilized a general systems theory and implementation science framework to assess if adherence to Intensive Home-Based Treatment (IHBT) impacted case outcomes at discharge. A Columbus, Ohio IHBT program's outcomes were analyzed, with a sample size of 116 participants. A simple linear regression approach of ordinary least squares regression analysis was utilized with SPSS. Variables analyzed included adherence measured by the IHBT Caregiver Feedback Survey (Shepler, et al., 2016) and youth outcomes measured by change in hospitalization, and change in problem severity and functioning on the Ohio Scales- Parent Form (Ogles, 2000) from intake to discharge. Initial results were not statistically significant as variables were not correlated. To further inform the original research question and determine if outcomes were positive despite adherence not being significant, a post-hoc analysis using a t-test for dependent samples was conducted. It determined there was a statistically significant difference between the mean scores from pre-IHBT to post-IHBT, as youth had a decrease in hospitalization, made clinically significant changes in problem severity, and showed reliable change in functioning. This suggests that IHBT is an effective treatment for youth with serious emotional disturbance and risk of out of home placement.

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2017, Gerontology

The concept of person-centered care (PCC) has gained increasing attention within the provision of long-term services and supports, particularly within home and community-based services (HCBS). Recent regulatory mandates require that states receiving federal funding must provide HCBS through a person-centered planning process and according to the preferences, values, and goals of consumers. Within HCBS, direct care workers (DCWs) have the most contact with consumers and assist them with intimate personal care and household tasks. This positions DCWs as the crucial link between assessment of consumer preferences and their service delivery experience. Person-centered assessment and service delivery have the potential to provide greater quality of life for HCBS consumers and to streamline service packages to be as efficient and effective as possible. However, a clear understanding of the current home care processes related to consumer preferences is needed. Using qualitative methods, this study examined current processes through which personal preference information is gathered, assessed, communicated, and incorporated into the daily practice of DCWs employed in agency settings. The findings reveal a framework that is helpful in understanding the complex processes associated with HCBS provision, factors that support DCWs in providing PCC, barriers that may affect the ability of DCWs and provider agencies to effectively carry out PCC mandates, and questions related to PCC in home care that may have philosophical, ethical, and legal implications.

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2015, Business: Business Administration

Given the increasing demands of the contemporary workplace, managing the demands of work and home is an important topic for individuals and organizations alike. Viewing work and home as separate yet interdependent domains, each surrounded by a boundary, I investigate boundary permeability at work and home in terms of antecedents and consequences. As antecedents of work boundary permeability, I examine the direct effects of two variables, segmentation preference at work and workload, while investigating the moderating effect of job control on these direct relationships. As antecedents of home boundary permeability, I examine the direct effects of segmentation preference at home and home demands, while exploring the moderating effect of home support. Consistent with prior studies suggesting that work and home boundaries are asymmetrically permeable, I investigate how complementary factors affect each boundary differently. In regard to consequences, I investigate the direct effects of boundary permeability on employees' conflict (time-based and strained based) and positive spillover (affective and instrumental facets) across domains. In addition, I examine the moderating effect of segmentation preference on these direct relationships. My results show that high work boundary permeability was predicted by strong segmentation preference, heavy home demands, and light workload while high home boundary permeability was predicted by strong segmentation preference and heavy workload. Regarding the consequences, high permeability of work and home boundaries led to higher work-home conflict, but not to higher positive spillover. High work boundary permeability led to strain-based home-to-work conflict while high home boundary permeability led to both time- and strain-based home-to-work conflict. Implications for research and practice are discussed along with future research directions.

Master of Gerontological Studies, Miami University, 2015, Gerontology

The purpose of this research was to document the experiences of the PASSPORT home care aides in using What Matters Most: A Guide for my Support and Care (WMM) developed by Scripps Gerontology Center. The WMM Guide, pilot-tested in southern Ohio, provides a formal structure to document a consumer's needs, strengths, goals and service preferences. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with seven home care aides. Findings revealed that all of the home care aides found value in the information, especially if the WMM Guide is received prior to the start of services. Second, while they were not familiar with person-centered care terminology, they all described an approach to care that is consistent with person-centeredness. Third, provider level buy-in for person-centered care, supported through training and policy change, will be essential to the success of this initiative.

Master of Gerontological Studies, Miami University, 2008, Gerontology

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore clients' perspectives of the home modification process and product. As there is a growing desire and need to move from institutional care to home and community-based care it is important to explore one aspect of this ever changing trend of older adults desiring to age in place. This study is beneficial to healthcare professionals who are involved in the home modification process as it will help inform and offer insight into the views of home modification clients. Research questions involve life before, during, and after the formal home assessment performed by the therapist. Eight one-time, semi-structured interviews were conducted with clients and family members who had made home modifications five weeks to three years ago. Findings show that informants view both the home modification process and products favorably.

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2013, Population and Social Gerontology

Nursing home transition programs (NHTPs) use home and community based services (HCBS) to relocate nursing home residents to the community. Because these programs are relatively young, little is known about the factors affecting nursing home readmission in NTHPs. Using Andersen's Behavioral Model (1995) as a guiding framework, this study uses binary logistic regression analysis to examine factors of nursing home readmission in the Providing Alternatives to Transitioning Home program (PATH). PATH is a NHTP that connects nursing home residents with Medicaid HCBS waiver programs in four northeast Ohio counties. Secondary data from PATH program records were analyzed and 302 program participants were included in the sample. Two factors, county nursing home density and the number of hospitalizations, were significant predictors of readmission for PATH participants (p<0.05). These findings illuminate a few of the challenges that policymakers face in trying to rebalance Ohio's long term care system.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1961, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1948, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1964, Graduate School

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1966, Graduate School

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1963, Graduate School

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2022, History

This dissertation aims to reclaim the significance and innovations of female home scientists in India's development from 1947 until 1972. Historiographies of India's development in the post-independence period have largely overlooked how gendered projects, such as the establishment of home science programs in new Indian agricultural universities, were directed by professional women. To discover the ways and to what extent home scientists played an essential role in India's modernization projects, this study investigates the transnational interactions of U.S. home economists and Indian women who earned advanced degrees in home economics subjects in the United States during the Cold War. Analyzing archival material, personal collections, oral history interviews, online subscription databases, and open-access repositories, this dissertation recovers the voices and lived experiences of these professional women. Additionally, this process uncovered a rich collection of first-person narratives. Over one hundred and twenty-five theses and dissertations written by Indian home scientists during the first three decades after Independence, collectively and individually, illustrate their pioneering leadership. The significance of this research is that it reveals home scientists' personal and professional renegotiations, setbacks, triumphs, and transnational connections with philanthropic organizations, government officials, and U.S. home economists as they collaborated and led nation-building projects.

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2022, East Asian Studies

Researchers have utilized propaganda in various ways, whether to understand the ideology of governments or to examine the society that lies beneath such displays. Studies on North Korean propaganda follow a similar pattern. Propaganda is often cited as the educational tool for the population, and a never-ending machine for state power. Investigations of such literature, art, and film rely on this line of thought accompanied with the works' relevance to the leaders of the DPRK, Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il, and Kim Jong Un. Of course, the state has the same narrative, often referring to the nation as 'home,' which can only be consoled by the leaders themselves. Often, researchers fall into the trap of only analyzing such works based on the national concept of 'home' rather than seeing past the regime's desired messaging. My study hopes to go in a different direction. By analyzing the history and the cinematic qualities of North Korean films from 2008 to 2016, I suggest that pictures of this period utilize compelling characters, inventive storytelling, and interactions amongst individuals to juggle the focus between this national conception of home and the sense of home found in the local community. In this construction, 'home' represents the love, comfort, and perception of belonging cultivated in groups of people. Additionally, these bonds are different from the 'national home' in which citizens work in a collective to benefit the nation instead of personal relationships directly. Films now portray how people work within these domains in their everyday life. For example, The Lieutenant of Those Days (Kunarui chungwi, dir. Pak Se-ung, 2008) features the dominant theme of camaraderie in the military unit, while Footprints of Military Service (Pongmuui chauk, dir. Kim Won-ha, 2016) balances its focus between Chuch'e (self-reliance) led innovation and romantic subplot line. Other films like, The Story of Our Home (Uri chip iyagi, dir. Yi Yun-ho and Ha Yong-gi, 2016) is set (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2021, Political Science (Arts and Sciences)

This research aims to insert the theory of gendered space into the narrative history of the American settlement movement by analyzing how settlement residents manipulated private spaces to engage in Progressive-Era politics. Hull House, the first settlement home, is used as a case study to demonstrate how female settlement residents utilized the settlement home as a hybrid public-private space to legitimize their social reform activities in urban areas. By embracing gendered spaces and cultural feminist beliefs about the natural role of women, settlement residents were able to effectively bargain for a more active role and voice in political life. Despite the social and political gains female settlement residents were able to achieve, their approach has been widely criticized by feminist scholars, since the embracing of gendered spaces and essentialist female traits continues to inhibit women from breaking free from structural forms of patriarchy.

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2020, Economics

This study addresses the variation in nursing home inspection teams and its effect on minority disparity in regulatory outcomes at facilities. It first addresses how team size varies for nursing homes with different minority concentrations. This study then looks at how reported disparities in nursing home quality changes when accounting for variations in inspection team. Consequently, this paper finds that inspection teams grow as a nursing home increases in minority concentration. Likewise, disparities in regulatory outcomes persist even in the presence of larger teams, but it is not as large as previous studies have suggested.

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Medicine: Clinical and Translational Research

Introduction: Children with chronic respiratory failure requiring home mechanical ventilation have multiple complex medical problems and are at high risk for life-threatening events. The lack of standardized terminology among new portable home ventilators increases the risk for fatal errors. Accurate communication of home ventilator settings between the ambulatory setting, home health care and inpatient providers is critical to provide safe care. Methods: Tests of change were employed using plan-do-study-act cycles in a pulmonary clinic caring for patients with home tracheostomy and ventilator dependence. Interventions included participation of a dedicated respiratory therapist in clinic to document home ventilator settings, development of a standardized documentation tool using branching logic and precise terminology in the electronic medical record and linking the documentation tool to home health care orders. Improvement in the accuracy of documented home ventilator settings and home health care orders was measured using statistical process control charts. Results: From January 2014 to June 2015, the accuracy of documented home ventilator settings improved from 58% to 97.5%. The accuracy of home health care orders improved from 35% to 100% and the accuracy of physician notes improved from 64.3% to 84.6%. Incorrect terminology was the most common reason for error and was responsible for 63% of documentation errors in the electronic medical record. Conclusions: Use of a standardized documentation tool for reconciliation of home ventilator settings resulted in significant reduction in errors in documentation and home health care orders. Clinicians should be aware of the potential for confusion with imprecise ventilator settings terminology.